Muhyiddin draws line on Perikatan’s future leader, saying chair must come from coalition chiefs

Muhyiddin draws line on Perikatan’s future leader, saying chair must come from coalition chiefs



Muhyiddin said Perikatan Nasional must resolve its leadership transition and agree on a GE16 ‘poster boy’ as the coalition enters a crucial year. — Picture by Yusof Mat Isa

Thursday, 22 Jan 2026 9:13 AM MYT


KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 22 — Bersatu president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has said the next Perikatan Nasional (PN) chairman should come from among the coalition’s party leaders, a stance that has placed renewed pressure on PN as it navigates an increasingly delicate succession question.

Speaking to selected media in Kuala Lumpur last night, Muhyiddin stressed that the coalition’s top post must be held by one of its four sitting presidents — himself, PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang, Gerakan president Dominic Lau or the Malaysian Indian People’s Party’s P Punithan — Free Malaysia Today (FMT) reported.

Muhyiddin stepped down as PN chairman on January 1, triggering speculation over who might succeed him.

However, he acknowledged that his own insistence on a president-led leadership structure had created a conundrum, particularly as Hadi has already ruled himself out on health grounds.


“If I have resigned, one of the other three should be PN chairman. But if the other three can’t be the chairman, can you give me a solution?” he said.

“So we have come to this point now. We will have to look at the overall situation at the end. The coalition should become more sustainable in the future.”

The former prime minister added that he intends to propose amendments to PN’s constitution to streamline administration and strengthen long-term governance.


Any revisions, he said, would depend on the coalition’s supreme council, but would likely lead to shifts in its internal structure.

Despite Muhyiddin’s position, several PN leaders — including figures within Bersatu — have publicly said that the chairman need not be drawn from the ranks of party presidents.

Hadi, although declining the role, had previously signalled PAS’s interest in the chairmanship.

Names from the Islamist party circulating as potential successors include its deputy president Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man and vice-president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar, who is also the Terengganu menteri besar, according to FMT.

With Malaysia edging closer to the next general election, Muhyiddin also said PN must begin settling the question of its “poster boy” for GE16.

Bersatu has named him as its preferred candidate for prime minister, but he described that choice as merely a suggestion that should not bind other components.

“If all four (components) want to be the prime minister candidate, it’s okay. At the end of the day, we can discuss before making a final decision for PN,” he said.

“We won’t argue. But for me, maybe it’s time that we make a decision about who will be PN’s next prime minister candidate, as people are starting to think about GE16.”

Muhyiddin further acknowledged that his relationship with Bersatu deputy president Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin “could be better.”

Their alleged rivalry has cast a long shadow over the party, contributing to internal upheaval that saw the sacking of MPs Datuk Wan Saiful Wan Jan and Datuk Seri Saifuddin Abdullah, alongside the suspension of Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal — all reportedly aligned with Hamzah, FMT noted.